L.O.V.E.

Chapter 9 - Nerissa

Nerissa means the world to him and her behavior in the past few days worries the hell out of him. Even now, she looks like she's not even there.

'Nothing is wrong!' Her shaky voice masks the lie behind it, yet his doubtful stare reads right through her. 'I swear!' She continues, this time putting more effort into it. 'It's work. I might be close to a breakthrough, but something keeps interfering with the result.'

Her aimless pacing has led her to the other side of the lab. His eyes are glued to her, studying her every single move. He seems to have lost that burning intensity in his eyes. She has definitely mastered the art of lying.

''Kay, I trust you, but you know you can talk to me about everything, right?' He offers, his voice back to normal. It's calm and soft as usual, a trait so familiar of him.

Nerissa nods, her conscience heavy with guilt. Keeping the truth from him is the best option for now. She knows better than to put him in the position of choosing between her and the law. Their friendship is what's keeping her grounded and if that means she has to lie to him, so be it. Now, that's selfish! Her psyche scolds, determined to make things less easy for her.

'By the way, the team is whole again.' Nathan tackles a more relaxed subject, excited to share the news. 'We selected the new players a couple of days ago, and I must say, they are really good. Especially that Roone guy everyone is talking about. He's a total douchebag, but you should see him jump.'

If it hadn't been for the swiveled chair behind her, she would have fallen on the floor.

'Great!' She sighs, showing what seems to be the lamest cheer in history.

Roone is taking away even the smallest of her pleasures. She enjoys watching the Navion games and be supportive of her friend. Now she has to cross that off the list, too.

Nathan looks at her puzzled.

'Did I say something wrong?', he mouths, wary and afraid he made things all awkward between them again.

His straightforward question brings Nerissa back to her senses. Clearing her throat, she suddenly gets up, aware of her foolish mistake.

'No, no!' She assures him, gesturing her hands madly in the air. 'I haven't had a good night sleep in days. There's this thing bothering me, but I'll figure it out sooner or later,' she adds, feeling a little better for not completely lying to him this time. At least, there is a small part of it that is true.

'Work again?' He quizzes leery, sure this cannot be a coincidence.

She hides it behind a quick nod, thinking that if she doesn't say it out loud, her deceit is not that final.

'You should take a break,' he continues, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently.

He will wait for her to come to him. There is no point in pressing her to tell the truth, if she is not ready to open up. One thing is for sure, whatever it is that is troubling her, is not work-related.

She tilts her head, resting her cheek on his hand. It feels good to finally feel a human touch. In a twisted way, she feels better now that she had a talk with her best friend, no matter how uncomfortable and vague it was.

'We are having a friendly game tonight. You know, to see how the new players behave under stress. You should come.'

She should say no, but how could she refuse him now?

'Please?' He begs, fluttering his eyelashes at her.

'OK! I'll come!' Nerissa finally surrenders, rolling her eyes and pushing him lightly in the chest. 'Now let me work!'

'Yes ma'am!', he smiles, showing all his teeth.

Then, he turns on his heels and pushes the exit button. The electric door hisses and starts moving, but before stepping out of the lab, he adds on a childish voice:

'I'll be looking for you in the bleachers.'

'And I'm sure I'll regret this,' she whispers, after the door closes shut behind him. Her heart is already racing at the thought of seeing Roone again.

Soon after the game has started, she wishes she hadn't come. Nathan was right. The new players are great and Roone's moves are extraordinary. The way he evades the obstacles, jumps and swings from one platform to another captivates the entire public. Ilya suddenly gets up and cheers for Matt when he dodges a last-minute missile. The other boy, Elias, gets hit by a projectile, that is setting him off course for a while. He soon catches a moving platform that elevates him further up, closer to his teammates.

Everyone is enjoying the game, except Nerissa. Her palms are all sweaty and the air refuses to fill her lungs. Sitting up, she starts elbowing her way out of the cheering crowd, in pursuit of fresh air. As if on cue, the public goes ballistic, yelling and clapping insanely loud. Intrigued, she takes a peek at the game, only to find Roone bowing in her direction and piercing her with his glacial stare. Her heart stops beating and the bones in her legs melt into gum. She somehow manages to make it to the exit, tripping and stepping on people's feet on her way out.

Alone, at last, her breathing has restored to normal. Her head is still throbbing, but she finds the silence soothing. A second later, Ilya marches in the dazzling hallway, catching her leaning on the cold wall, and resting her hands on her knees.

'Is everything OK? What's wrong?' She asks, taking her by surprise.

Exhausted, Nerissa squints her eyes from the light, and through deep breaths, she states what appears to be the obvious.

'I think I have just had a panic attack.'

Ilya puts both her hands on her hip and commands on a stern tone. She may be concerned for her health, yet she cannot hide the frustration for not having a more social friend.

'You need to get out more. You've practically been living in that lab of yours. It's time you have some fun, girl. Come with me!' She grabs Nerissa's hand and drags her out in the parking lot.

'Where are we going?' Nerissa asks curiously as she buckles up. Ilya is known for her poor driving skills.

'Right now, we are going to get changed. Later, we are going to a party.'

The beautiful orange sunset distracts them for a while. Nerissa is about to reply, when Ilya cuts her off, raising one finger at her.

'Before you say no, you should consider that, this is the last time we can have fun before the Selection. Besides, it's one of James' parties. I am sure you have heard about his massive underground events.'

Nerissa snorts offended, although she has no idea who James is. Besides, she has already made up her mind. She fiercely grabs her finger and adds.

'You know what? You're right, let's do this!' Her brave voice is filled with excitement.

She needs a change, something to stop her from thinking about Roone, and what are the odds of him being there anyway? It's not like these parties are made public.

'That's my girl!' Ilya roots for her friend while driving into the sunset, and humming a song she really hopes she will get to hear tonight.

...
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